BECAUSE THEY CARE

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BECAUSE THEY CARE
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SDA-RF-CH-1.29

Bangalore will soon have a building to provide support and solace to the
terminally ill. The facility, the first of its kind in Karnataka, is part of the Hospice
movement which lays less emphasis on the clinical and concentrates on the.:.-.
humanitarian aspect of treatment. The Indian Cancer Society in conjunction-with
the Rotary Club of Indiranagar, Bangalore, started the project a few years ago.
They provide home service to cancer patients and hope to expand their scope.
Anjali Prayag reports.
yy A "THEN nine-year-old Padmini, died companies also have other resources which arc
ra /\\ / of cancer in her one-room hovel equally' valuable and which can be utilised in
Mrecently, she was truly alone. Her movements like these, " says Mr. Kishorc S.
w
w mother, a domestic servant was Rao. Managing Trustee of the .Bangalore Hos­
doing her daily rounds and her father, a casual pice Trust (BHT)
construction labourer was away at the site.
Explaining his comment, he reveals that ar­
Her younger siblings, totally unaware of her. chitects Chandavarkar & Thacker have offered
helpless condition were playing outside the to design and supervise the construction of the
hut.'
building, ad agency MAA Bozell, has designed
Padmini’s is not an isolated case. Millions all the Trust logo and the brochure, brick manu­
over, the country die everyday, often in great facturer, Krishvce Bricks has agreed to give
pain, abject misery, and absolute loneliness. bricks. EID Parry will supply bathroom fixtures
simply because hospitals-have nothing to offer and Rotarian. Mr. Prakash Giridhar, will give
by way .of cure and their families have no time furniture for the building. The punchline? All
have offered their services free of charge.
to spare for them. . ‘
.
To overcome this basic failing in modern-day
The Trust has so far managed to collect
lifestyles, Dame Cicely Saunders of the UK pio­ about Rs. 40 lakhs, and construction work has
neered the Hospice Movement. Her philosophy begun in full swing. "Being an ex-corporate
-as:
;
.
person, I have to realistically work out ar­
You matter up to the last moment of your life, rangements for the rest of the money for the
And we will do all we can.
construction and also to meet the running ex­
penses of the Hospice, " says Rao. an ex-em­
Not only to help you die peacefully.
But also to’live until you die.”ployee of Coats Viy'clla .
Terminaliy-ill patients have an untold crav­
Meanwhile, as the building takes shape, the
ing for human company, not merely to share Trust is not complacently awaiting its comple­
their grief, as studies have shown, but to pro­ tion. It has already started a home-care service
tract their experiences with normal existence. for tcrminally-ill cancer patients. The home­
The Hospice Care treatment lays less emphasis care teams, numbering two, each comprises a
on tlie clinical and concentrates on this hu­ counsellor and a qualified nurse. Sister Jose
manitarian aspect.
Mary and Sister Vinita, the nurses along with
The Indian Cancer Society in conjunction Sister Mallika and Ms. Usha Shinde, the coun­
with the Rotaryr Club of Indiranagar. Banga­ sellors regularly visit patients who live in des­
lore. started the Bangalore Hospice Trust in olate and sordid surroundings.
November 1994. The facility, called KarunashOne wonders who they turn to when they
raya.- is the first of its kind in Karnataka. Ini­ are affected by their frequent contact with an­
tially, this care will be available only for guish and suffering? Two psycho-oncologists
patients suffering from cancer.
working at NIMHANS. Bangalore, help them
The Hospice building, expected to be com­ out regularly. These doctors play counsellors
pleted by April 1998. is located on a five-acre and guide them during complicated situations.
plot in Whitefield, Bangalore. The Trust ac­ Sister Mallika says, “ The condition of the pa­
quired the land at a paltry sum from the Gov­ tients docs disturb us, but it docs not come in
ernment of Karnataka for a 99-ycar lease. The the way of our duties. At the same time, we as
building construction is estimated to cost care-takers should not become apathetic or
about Rs. 1.8 crores, for which donations have dispassionate towards suffering.” It's a balanc­
poured tri from the corporate sector and indi­ ing act that requires a tremendous amount of
mental strength and innate tranquility.
viduals'alike.
Also contributing his mite to the teams' ef­
The Tata Trusts, Larsen & Toubro. Brooke
Bond Lipton India Ltd.. Bank of America and forts is autorickshaw driver. Shekhar, who
Castrol are among the corporate donors. "But drives them all over the city. During one visit.

the team was unable to locate the patient’s
house. Shekhar knew that the patient be­
longed to the Muslim community. After much
searching, he went to a nearby mosque' spoke
to the mullah there and managed to get the
directions to the patient’s residence.
So far. the team has visited 110 patients, 85
have since died. The team conducts itself strict- •
ly under the supervision of the referring doctor.
The mode of treatment, whether allopathic.
homoeopathic, ayurvedic or unani. is not in­
terfered with. The team docs not impinge upon
the religious beliefs of the patients or their fam­
ilies. Though the service Is provided absolute!}’
free, donations arc accepted which may in turn
benefit many more poor patients.
Right now, the team operates from the TTK
Blood Bank premises, which is also a char­
itable organisation, started by TTK Ltd. Dr.
Latha Jagannathan.- a trustee with the BHT.
who also manages the blood bank, has con­
ducted several cancer detection camps. She
says it is very difficult to motivate people to
attend these camps as most of them are afraid
to face reality.
In Hospice Care, palliative measures are giv­
en utmost priority. "For example, administra­
tion of oral morphine is highly recommended'
to all these patients who are undergoing im­
mense pain. ” says Ms. Shinde. Sometimes, the
doctor is not receptive to the idea. Many a time.
it's the families which have reservations about
this pain-alleviation treatment. because they
feel morphine exposes the patients to a pleth­
ora of side effects.
Another critical contribution of the Home
Care Team is the bereavement visit after the
patient's death. The family is at a loss, totally
ignorant of how to deal with the experience. It
is at this time that the team comes to the fore
and gently guides the family towards accepting
their loss.
The team has to tread carefully, as some
families do not like the intervention of an out­
sider. On the other hand, some families wel­
come the support that the team provides The
extent of involvement varies from family to
family. But the team continues its service, re­
lentlessly.
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